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$2.99 Ebook Sale: Barsk: The Elephant’s Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen

Placeholder of  -41The ebook edition of Barsk: The Elephant’s Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen is on sale now for only $2.99! This offer will only last for a limited time, so order your copy today and start the series before the sequel, The Moons of Barskcomes out August 14th.

About Barsk: The Elephant’s Graveyard: The Sixth Sense meets Planet of the Apes in a moving science fiction novel set so far in the future, humanity is gone and forgotten in Lawrence M. Schoen’s Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard.

An historian who speaks with the dead is ensnared by the past. A child who feels no pain and who should not exist sees the future. Between them are truths that will shake worlds.

In a distant future, no remnants of human beings remain, but their successors thrive throughout the galaxy. These are the offspring of humanity’s genius-animals uplifted into walking, talking, sentient beings. The Fant are one such species: anthropomorphic elephants ostracized by other races, and long ago exiled to the rainy ghetto world of Barsk. There, they develop medicines upon which all species now depend. The most coveted of these drugs is koph, which allows a small number of users to interact with the recently deceased and learn their secrets.

To break the Fant’s control of koph, an offworld shadow group attempts to force the Fant to surrender their knowledge. Jorl, a Fant Speaker with the dead, is compelled to question his deceased best friend, who years ago mysteriously committed suicide. In so doing, Jorl unearths a secret the powers that be would prefer to keep buried forever. Meanwhile, his dead friend’s son, a physically challenged young Fant named Pizlo, is driven by disturbing visions to take his first unsteady steps toward an uncertain future.

Order Your Copy

kindle nook ebooks.com Placeholder of google play -31 ibooks2 25 kobo

This sale ends July 31st.

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New Releases: 12/27/16

The Spartan Dagger by Nicholas Guild

The Spartan Dagger by Nicholas GuildAncient Sparta comes to life in The Spartan Dagger, Nicholas Guild’s vivid tale of murder and vengeance. On a cold night, at the outskirts of a peasant village, two Spartan youths wait to perform an ancient rite of passage. A family–father, mother, and their son–approaches, unarmed and defenseless. The young men step into the moonlight and claim their manhood by killing the adults. The boy escapes.

NOW IN PAPERBACK:

Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen

Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard by Leonard M. SchoenThe Sixth Sense meets Planet of the Apes in a moving science fiction novel set so far in the future, humanity is gone and forgotten in Lawrence M. Schoen’s Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard. An historian who speaks with the dead is ensnared by the past. A child who feels no pain and who should not exist sees the future. Between them are truths that will shake worlds.

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On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events for March

Riders by Veronica RossiA Gathering of Shadows by V.E. SchwabCharacter, Driven by David Lubar

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in March! Here is the info on all of our upcoming author events. See who is coming to a city near you!

Charlie Jane Anders, All the Birds in the Sky

Tuesday, March 1
Google
Mountain View, CA
2:30 PM

R.S. Belcher, The Brotherhood of the Wheel

Thursday, March 3
Fountain Bookstore
Richmond, VA
6:30 PM

Saturday, March 5
Barnes & Noble
Roanoke, VA
2:00 PM

Wednesday, March 9
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Lexington, KY
7:00 PM

Saturday, March 26
Wondercon
Los Angeles, CA
2:00 PM

Susan Dennard, Truthwitch

Tuesday, March 1
Half Price Books
Dallas, TX
7:00 PM
Also with Veronica Rossi.

Randy Henderson, Bigfootloose and Finn Fancy Free

Tuesday, March 1
Tattered Cover
Denver, CO
7:00 PM

Tuesday, March 15
Auntie’s Bookstore
Denver, CO
7:00 PM

Wednesday, March 16
Rediscovered Books
Boise, ID
7:00 PM

Glen Hirshberg, Good Girls

Sunday, March 6
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
3:30 PM

Saturday, March 26
Borderlands Books
San Francisco, CA
3:00 PM

David Lubar, Character, Driven

Saturday, March 5
Emmaus Public Library
Emmaus, PA
5:00 PM
Books provided by Let’s Play Books.

Wednesday, March 9
Anderson’s Bookshop
Naperville, IL
5:00 PM

Thursday, March 10
Joseph Beth Booksellers
Crestview Hills, KY
7:00 PM

Saturday, March 12
Valley Ranch Library
Irving, TX
2:00 PM

Veronica Rossi, Riders

Tuesday, March 1
Half Price Books
Dallas, TX
7:00 PM
Also with Susan Dennard.

Friday, March 11
Rakestraw Books
Danville, CA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, March 16
Kepler’s Books
Menlo Park, CA
7:00 PM
In conversation with Michael Grant.

Friday, March 18
Books Inc
San Francisco, CA
7:00 PM
Also with Caragh O’Brien and Stephanie Kuehn.

Tuesday, March 22
Mysterious Galaxy
San Diego, CA
7:00 PM
Also with Kiersten White and Mary E. Pearson.

Lawrence M. Schoen, Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard

Thursday, March 24
University Bookstore
Seattle, WA
7:00 PM

Monday, March 28
Powell’s Books
Beaverton, OR
7:00 PM

V.E. Schwab, A Gathering of Shadows

Tuesday, March 1
Third Place Books
Lake Forest Park, WA
7:00 PM

Wednesday, March 2
Old Firehouse Books
Fort Collins, CO
7:00 PM

Thursday, March 3
Poisoned Pen
Scottsdale, AZ
7:00 PM

Saturday, March 5
Malaprop’s
Asheville, NC
3:00 PM

Tuesday, March 8
Joseph Beth Booksellers
Lexington, KY
7:00 PM
Also with Gwenda Bond and Julie Kagawa.

Saturday, March 12
Southeastern Young Adult Book Festival
Murfreesboro, TN

Friday, March 18-Sunday, March 20
Virginia Festival of the Book
Charlottesville, VA

Friday, March 25-Sunday, March 27
WonderCon
Los Angeles, CA
Guest of Honor

Kristen Simmons, The Glass Arrow

Monday, March 21
University Bookstore
Naperville, IL
7:00 PM

Brian Staveley, The Last Mortal Bond

Tuesday, March 15
Phoenix Bookstore
Burlington, VT
6:30 PM

Friday, March 18
Brookline Booksmith
Saratoga Springs
7:00 PM

Thursday, March 24
Brookline Booksmith
Brookline, MA
7:00 PM

Andrea Thalasinos, Fly By Night

Friday, March 4
Mystery to Me Bookstore
Madison, WI
7:00 PM

Sunday, March 6
Arcadia Books
Spring Green, WI
2:00 PM

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On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in February

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. SchwabTruthwitch by Susan DennardRiders by Veronica Rossi

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in February! Here is the info on all of our upcoming author events. See who is coming to a city near you!

  1. Thursday, February 4
    Skylight Books
    Los Angeles, CA
    7:30 PM
  2. Tuesday, February 23
    Green Apple Books
    San Francisco, CA
    7:30 PM
  1. Tuesday, February 16
    Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing
    Beaverton, OR
    7:00 PM
  2. Saturday, February 20
    Borderlands Books
    San Francisco, CA
    3:00 PM
  1. Saturday, February 13
    Barnes & Noble
    Bensalem, PA
    In conversation with Sarah J. Maas
    7:00 PM
  2. Wednesday, February 17
    Schuler Books & Music
    Lansing, MI
    Also with Veronica Rossi
    7:00 PM
  3. Thursday, February 18
    Bethesda Library
    Bethesda, MD
    Also with Veronica Rossi
    7:00 PM
  4. Friday, February 19
    Mysterious Galaxy
    San Diego, CA
    7:00 PM
  5. Wednesday, February 24
    Books & Books
    Coral Gables, FL
    Also with Veronica Rossi
    7:00 PM
  6. Thursday, February 25
    Malaprops
    Asheville, NC
    Also with Veronica Rossi
    7:00 PM
  7. Saturday, February 27
    Montgomery County Book Festival
    The Woodlands, TX
    Also with Veronica Rossi
    All Day
  8. Sunday, February 28
    Morton Ranch High School Commons
    Katy, TX
    Also with Veronica Rossi and Sophie Jordan
    6:00 PM
  9. Sunday, February 28
    Morton Ranch High School Commons
    Katy, TX
    Also with Veronica Rossi and Sophie Jordan
    6:00 PM
  10. Tuesday, March 1
    Half Price Books
    Dallas, TX
    Also with Veronica Rossi and Kathleen Baldwin
    7:00 PM
  1. Monday, February 1
    Warwick’s Books
    Bensalem, PA
    7:30 PM
  2. Tuesday, February 2
    Book Carnival
    Orange, CA
    7:00 PM
  3. Friday, February 5
    Mysterious Galaxy
    San Diego, CA
    7:30 PM
  4. Tuesday, February 16
    Murder by the Book
    Houston, TX
    6:30 PM
  5. Wednesday, February 17
    Poisoned Pen
    Scottsdale, AZ
    Also with Mark Greaney
    7:00 PM
  1. Tuesday, February 16
    University Bookstore
    Seattle, WA
    7:00 PM
  2. Wednesday, February 17
    Powell’s Books
    Beaverton, OR
    7:00 PM
  3. Thursday, February 18
    Grass Roots Book & Music
    Corvallis, OR
    6:30 PM
  4. Friday, February 19
    Copperfield’s Books
    Petaluma, CA
    7:00 PM
  5. Saturday, February 20
    Borderlands Books
    San Francisco, CA
    7:00 PM
  6. Sunday, February 21
    Mysterious Galaxy
    San Diego, CA
    2:00 PM
  7. Wednesday, February 24
    Third Place Books
    Lake Forest Park, WA
    7:00 PM
  8. Friday, February 26
    Barnes & Noble
    Silverdale, WA
    6:30 PM
  9. Saturday, February 27
    Village Books
    Bellingham, WA
    7:00 PM
  1. Friday, February 26
    The Last Bookstore
    Los Angeles, CA
    7:00 PM
  1. Monday, February 1
    Madame X
    New York, NY
    7:00 PM
  1. Wednesday, February 17
    Schuler Books & Music
    Lansing, MI
    Also with Susan Dennard
    7:00 PM
  2. Thursday, February 18
    Bethesda Library
    Bethesda, MD
    Also with Susan Dennard
    7:00 PM
  3. Wednesday, February 24
    Books & Books
    Coral Gables, FL
    Also with Susan Dennard
    7:00 PM
  4. Thursday, February 25
    Malaprops
    Asheville, NC
    Also with Susan Dennard
    7:00 PM
  5. Saturday, February 27
    Montgomery County Book Festival
    The Woodlands, TX
    Also with Susan Dennard
    All Day
  6. Sunday, February 28
    Morton Ranch High School Commons
    Katy, TX
    Also with Susan Dennard and Sophie Jordan
    6:00 PM
  7. Tuesday, March 1
    Half Price Books
    Dallas, TX
    Also with Susan Dennard and Kathleen Baldwin
    7:00 PM
  8. Saturday, March 5
    Austin Book Fest
    Austin, TX
    All Day
  1. Wednesday, February 3
    Park Road Books
    Charlotte, NC
    7:00 PM
  2. Thursday, February 4
    Flyleaf Books
    Chapel Hill, NC
    7:00 PM
  3. Friday, February 5
    Quail Ridge Books & Music
    Raleigh, NC
    7:00 PM
  1. Tuesday, February 23
    Parnassus Books
    Nashville, TN
    6:30 PM
  2. Wednesday, February 24
    Blue Willow Bookshop
    Houston, TX
    7:00 PM
  3. Thursday, February 25
    One More Page Books
    Arlighton, VA
    7:00 PM
  4. Friday, February 26
    Rediscovered Books
    Boise, ID
    7:00 PM
  5. Saturday, February 27
    Borderlands Books
    San Francisco, CA
    3:00 PM
  6. Sunday, February 28
    Barnes & Noble
    Huntington Beach, CA
    2:00 PM
  7. Monday, February 29
    Mysterious Galaxy
    San Diego, CA
    7:00 PM

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On the Road: Tor/Forge Author Events in January

Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard by Lawrence M. SchoenTruthwitch by Susan DennardThe Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston

Tor/Forge authors are on the road in January! Once a month, we’re collecting info about all of our upcoming author events. Check and see who will be coming to a city near you:

Susan Dennard, Truthwitch

Monday, January 11
Books of Wonder
Also with Alexandra Bracken. Moderated by Erin Bowman.
New York, NY
6:00 PM

Tuesday, January 12
Anderson’s Bookshop
Also with Alexandra Bracken.
Naperville, IL
7:00 PM

Wednesday, January 13
Red Balloon Bookshop
Also with Alexandra Bracken.
St. Paul, MN
6:30 PM

Friday, January 15
Kepler’s Books
Also with Alexandra Bracken.
Menlo Park, CA
7:00 PM

Saturday, January 16
Hicklebee’s
Also with Alexandra Bracken.
San Jose, CA
Time TBA

Monday, January 18
Books Inc.
Also with Alexandra Bracken.
San Francisco, CA
7:00 PM

Friday, January 22
ConFusion
The Woodlands, TX
Time TBA

Michael Livingston, The Shards of Heaven

Monday, January 4
Park Road Books
Charlotte, NC
7:00 PM

Tuesday, January 5
Flyleaf Books
Chapel Hill, NC
7:00 PM

Lawrence M. Schoen, Barsk: The Elephant’s Graveyard

Wednesday, January 20
Barnes & Noble
Philadelphia, PA
7:00 PM

Thursday, January 21
Schuler Books & Music
Lansing, MI
7:00 PM

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What You Don’t Know You Know About What You Don’t Know

Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen
Written by Lawrence M. Schoen

My formative SF reading included a lot of sense-o’-wonder adventure stories. Was there subtext to those tales? Maybe with some, but if so I suspect I missed it entirely. I was too busy enjoying myself, traveling through time and space, meeting aliens, and grappling with ideas that made the preteen me wide-eyed and slack-jawed. So decades later when I started writing, no surprise that a similar voice emerged (at least, in my better stuff). Part, perhaps, of writing what you know.

More recently, questions of what I do and don’t know have occupied my mind. As both a cognitive psychologist and a hypnotherapist, I’ve been thinking about the role the unconscious plays in writing, and in my own fiction in particular. A couple things jumped out, one that’s probably obvious and one less so.

Obvious first: good worldbuilding isn’t about cramming in endless detail that only you (okay, and your mother) will love. Rather it’s about creating such a lush tapestry in your mind, at both a conscious and an unconscious level, that it underlies your process, seeping into the writing as verisimilitude, that seamless and seemingly effortlessness that we all want.

The less obvious point is that the unconscious mind can be trusted to handle all the subtext of a work, in much the way it incorporates the details inherent in the worldbuilding. This frees the author to focus on all those cool, sense-o’-wonder things. Some examples: In writing Barsk, the conscious part of my writing was focused on telling a story about uplift, but at some unconscious level I apparently put in lots of stuff about intolerance, as practiced both by the intolerant and the object of their intolerance. Go figure. I also went into the book intending to create a pair of characters whose friendship was the most important part of their lives, but unbeknownst to me I was really going for the poignancy of a relationship that transcends death and redefines obligation. Huh. And I also thought it’d be cool to throw in some threads about prophecy and telepathy, all the while not realizing that I’d gone off to explore philosophies about manipulation and lifestyle choices of being a player or the played. Seriously, where did that come from?

All this introspection led me to have similar conversations with other authors (usually at the bar during conventions) about the intentionality and the weightier things in their fiction. Some insisted their work held no allegory, no subtext, no message. Others assured me that as authors they felt a responsibility to use their fiction as a soapbox. It’s worth noting that both explanations are products of the conscious mind, and are the result of reflection, revision, and/or rehearsal.

We could stop there and be done, but there’s more to the story. I’ve had the opportunity to engage more than a few writers through trance (which, curiously, also often happens in bars at conventions) and glimpse the creative unconscious at work. It has its own agenda, its own skill sets, its own tools. The goals of the unconscious mind are as deliberate as, though not necessarily accessible or revealed to, the author’s conscious. Or more simply, whether the author is aware of it or not, this is where that subtext gets brewed. It’s these unconscious processes that inform our writing and engage our readers, in ways we may not consciously ever know we intended. But we did.

Which is why when I’m asked about my own fiction, whether I intended this particular message or that compelling theme, I’ve learned to just keep my mouth shut and smile enigmatically. Unless of course you’re a fellow hypnotist and we’re at the bar. Then, maybe, you’ll get the whole story. And if you do, please let me in on it.

pItlh!

Preorder Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard today:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | iBooks | Indiebound

Follow Lawrence M. Schoen on Twitter at @klingonguy, on Facebook, and on his website.

Tor Books Announces Programming for New York Comic-Con 2015

Placeholder of  -24 It’s time for New York Comic Con again! This year, we are pleased to announce that the Tor: The Next Generation! stage from BEA has been chosen as a panel. As always, Tor Books will continue its popular in-booth (#2223) signings and giveaways, offering you a chance to meet your favorite authors and pick up free books! Our exciting line-up includes author appearances by John Scalzi, Catherynne M. Valente, Charlie Jane Anders, and more!

Be sure to follow @TorBooks on Twitter for up-to-date information and last minute events.

Thursday, October 8th

Friday, October 9th

Look at something like The Martian vs. The Fold vs. the Iron Man movies. Is hard science always a good thing? Authors discuss the pros and cons and the sometimes slippery slope of including hard science in a work of fiction, especially in a paradigm era of technological development.
Panelists: A.G. Riddle, Mindy McGinnis, Robin Wasserman, Ian McDonald, Barry Lyga
Moderator: Peter Clines

  • 6:45 PM – Signing to follow, Bookstore Hall 1-B

Saturday, October 10

  • 12:00pm Tor Booth Signing: Trial of Intentions – Peter Orullian
  • 1:30pm Masters of Unreality: Heavy Metal and SFF, Room 1A18
    It’s well known that heavy metal songs have been based on fantasy novels; however, it can be argued that they’re also the perfect soundtrack to any battle scene, whether deep in the forest or in deep space. Authors Myke Cole, Michael Fletcher, and Peter Orullian are not just talented writers, but they’ve all been in metal bands! Join them along with James Dashner as they discuss what they listen to as they write epic scenes, discuss seminal albums and how the two cross reference each other.
    Panelists: Peter Orullian, Myke Cole, Michael R. Fletcher
    Moderator: Tricia Narwani of Del Rey
  • 1:45pm Signing to follow
  •  2:00pm Tor Booth Signing: All the Birds in the Sky – Charlie Jane Anders
  •  4:00pm Books to Movies Wishlist, Room A101
    The Martian. Foundation. American Gods. Redshirts: So many iconic SFF novels are finally scheduled to it the big screen, thanks to the rabid fandom of recent dramatizations of Game of Thrones, Outlander, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. But what’s on the big screen wish list of this panel of bestselling speculative fiction superstars? They all agree that the obvious franchises have been done already – and now, they want to discuss with NYCC attendees what lesser-know/cult fave titles should invade theaters and march into cable programming! Join us for a nerdy-fun discussion about which science fiction and fantasy must-reads would really make celluloid magic!
    Panelists: Christopher Golden, Chuck Wendig, Jennifer Armentrout, Charlie Jane Anders
    Moderator: Michael Underwood
  • 5:15pm Signing to Follow, Bookstore Hall 1-B
  • 5:00pm Tor Booth Signing: Radiance – Catherynne M. Valente

Sunday, October 11

  • 12:00pm Tor Booth Signing: Chasing the Phoenix – Michael Swanwick
  • 1:30pm Get Out of Your Chair and Off the Planet! Room A101

Whether it’s satisfying readers’ desires for interstellar armchair travel or sparking ambitions for SF fans to pursue extra-terrestrial encounters, in actuality, science fiction is the fiction of the imagination and inspiration. Authors Michael Swanwick, Jay Allen, Catherynne M. Valente, Judd Winnick, CH Higgin stake readers to the final frontier … and beyond.
Panelists: Michael Swanwick, Catherynne M. Valente, CH Higgins, Judd Winnick
Moderator: Maryelizabeth Hart

  • 2:45pm Signing to follow, Bookstore Hall 1-B

Giveaways are on a first-come, first-served basis

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